I was not surprised to learn that Hawk & Dove was going to be the in the first wave of The New 52 titles to be dropped by DC.

I hadn’t read a single issue because neither the characters nor the creative team appealed to me.

Seeing as I haven’t had a massive pull list since coming back to comics, I decided to give this issue a try. I was intrigued that Liefeld’s name was the only one the cover. Plus, I wanted to count the times characters grimaced through their teeth for no discernible reason. Twenty times.

But while I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this issue, it’s a far cry from terrible. It’s just mediocre. The fact that I don’t care for the story is more a factor of the characters than the writer (though I suppose a fantastic writer should be good enough to make me enjoy Hawkman or WildCATS). The art is…not the bad that I expected (aside from the grimacing), but also not good. There’s a panel of the villain readying his whip where both the character’s neck and arms seem at impossible odds with the rest of him. And, of course, the villain wields a ridiculously sized harpoon gun and a series of early nineties Marvel pouches that are Liefeld’s unfortunate trademark.